The Ride Norfolk transportation initiative could come to a screeching halt as early as June 8, if not sooner.

That’s the day organizers of the bus service estimate they will exhaust their budget for the pilot project.

Brad Smith, co-ordinator of Ride Norfolk, lists termination as one of three options for Norfolk council in a report that will be tabled Tuesday night.

Simply put, the perceived demand for the service has not materialized. As a consequence, the bus line will burn through the $124,500 council gave it in December by early next month. The cash was supposed to sustain the bus line till the end of September.

In his report, Smith says the shuttle service between Simcoe and surrounding communities is bringing in monthly revenue of $1,140. Meanwhile, monthly costs are in the range of $30,000. In a best-case scenario, Smith says revenue might approach $2,000 a month by the end of the year.

Smith says the public, for reasons unknown, is reluctant to use the service. From January through March, ridership rose from eight fares a day to nearly 20. He noted that ridership increased four fold during the week of March 12-16 when the service was offered free of charge.

Termination is an option, Smith says, but added that it would come at a price.

“The issue of residents would be back to the situation of being at a transportation disadvantage due to the rural nature of Norfolk County and a lack of public transportation,” Smith said in his report.

“Many local agencies and organizations who provide community services and programs that improve the quality of life for our area residents have advocated for a transportation system in Norfolk County. Continued support for a public transportation system will allow our residents to access the services and resources they require. Further, staff anticipates that ridership will continue to modestly increase should the service continue.”

If Norfolk wants to operate the pilot project till the end of September as planned, council will have to pony up another $95,100 on top of the $124,500 in start-up funding it granted in December.

A third option has Norfolk County committing to the service and operating the bus line full-time into 2013 and beyond.

This would require an additional commitment of $160,300 this year on top of the $124,500 nearly spent. Norfolk would also have to commit to $124,500 in annual funding on an ongoing basis. However, this course of action might qualify the county for as much as $87,500 a year in provincial gas tax funding for public transit.